The Art of Watercolor Painting offers a fresh take on a beloved classic art medium. This comprehensive how-to-paint book opens with a thorough introduction to the essential watercolor tools and materials artists need to get started, including paintbrushes, watercolor paints, sketchbooks, papers, and supports. Next, readers will learn about the fundamentals of watercolor, as well as a variety of painting techniques, including creating washes, mixing colors, preserving the white of the paper, painting soft blends, rendering realistic reflections, and working wet into wet, among others. Following this helpful introduction, four expert watercolorists show artists how to put their painting skills to use through simple step-by-step lessons, starting with initial sketches and culminating in final works of art. With subject matter that ranges from the whimsical to the traditional, including flowers, fairies, oceans, birds, and horses, The Art of Watercolor Painting features projects to suit artists of all tastes and skill levels. Also included are techniques specific to painting lifelike portraits, as well as tips for painting seascapes, including waves, ripples, foam, rocks, sand, boats, sunsets, and clouds. A section on Chinese brush painting features step-by-step painting lessons of a number of traditional subjects using time-honored painting techniques. With inspiration, instruction, and professional tips and tricks on virtually every page, The Art of Watercolor Painting is nothing short of an all-inclusive resource for both beginning and experienced watercolor artists alike. A handy index complements this reference guide, making this gorgeous full-color book the perfect addition to any artist’s library.

Thomas Needham of Appling, GA, is a graduate of California's renowned Art Center College of Design with a double major in Advertising and Illustration. He has received numerous honors and awards for his watercolor, oil, and acrylic paintings. Thomas says, "I bring vivid imagination to my work and a tremendous love of form and grace. It's through my art that I share the beauty, awe, and mystery of what lies before our eyes."

Ronald Pratt is an associate member of the National Watercolor Society, California Watercolor Association, and a member of several San Francisco Bay Area art groups. His award-winning paintings are proudly displayed in homes and galleries around the world.

During her early years in Hong Kong, Helen Tse studied under several renowned Chinese watercolor masters. Following a basic education in Canada, she moved to Orange County, California, where she has won numerous awards at juried shows and competitions. Her work has been represented in many private collections, local museums, galleries, and national shows.

As a child, Deb Watson displayed talent for art, but was encouraged by her parents to pursue something more productive. She spent a good portion of her adult life as an operating room nurse. Working long hours and raising a family didn't leave much spare time, but she continued to paint whenever she could. Deb quit nursing in 1999 to become a full-time watercolorist. She finds inspiration for her art in unlikely places, such as dirty gutters, messy restaurant tables, and other subjects that often go unseen. Deb maintains a busy teaching schedule and loves helping her students rediscover their own passion for art, as she did. Her classes are all about loosening up and having fun. An award-winning artist, the most rewarding part of Deb's journey has been the heartfelt responses those whose hearts have been touched by one of her paintings.

Nancy Wylie is a realist painter working in watercolor, pastels, and oils. She graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in art education and a minor in outdoor education. She devotes her professional talents to painting full time, teaching workshops, giving critiques, and jurying shows locally and nationally.